BEACH -- Tenacity is what Hill of Beans espresso and gift shop owner Bobbi Hildebrant is all about.
Her determination and the support from local residents and veteran truck drivers keep Hildebrant's business going despite obstacles.
A major hurdle for Hildebrant was having her shop moved this April to a different part of the property she rents from her neighbor business, Flying J Travel Plaza and Restaurant. The move was due to reconstruction of the Flying J after a fire devastated the building Sept. 17.
Luckily, Hildebrant's business did not sustain any damages. It is the long-term effects which continue to challenge her.
"I offer a service to people that's more than the coffee," Hildebrant said. "I'll be there for a laugh and to listen; I have a reputation as a retreat and as a spot to hang out. I'm not a quitter."
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Hildebrant has been in business selling all sorts of caffeinated drinks and other concoctions for the past four years with Hill of Beans. Sweet smells emanate from her 12-by-25 cabin where coffee, lattes, smoothies and much more entice the senses. Hildebrant hopes to attract more customers after the Flying J reopens Tuesday.
She previously owned and operated the Spiderweb Espresso in downtown Beach for 11 years. She closed the shop and opened Hill of Beans, as her hope was to one day have the old espresso shop be a bed and breakfast, but that is on hold.
Before going into business, Hildebrant worked with her husband Duane on their no-till farming operation south of Beach, which has a variety of small grains with beef cattle and sheep. Duane works with their son Meilon, who also has his own bison as a part of his business.
"I'm dealing with being a small business in a small town (already) and I have lost 70 percent of my highway traffic (since the move)" Hildebrant said. "Where I am at now there isn't going to be a driveway for cars, just a curb and gutter out front for trucks, which is nice for the truck drivers, but not (nice) for my local customers."
The inconvenience will make it harder for Hildebrant to keep her place easily accessible, but people at the visitor's center can walk over to her.
"I have picked up a few more tourists, but I'm still landlocked here and my other traffic is off," she said. "
Before she moved, the cabin was placed on the outer north end of the lot closest to Interstate 94, which is now where the new Flying J stands.
During the construction phase for Flying J, the landscape made it difficult for people to see her small cabin when they came off I-94. With a few signs to let people know she's still here, Hildebrant campaigned for her place by also having brochures at different visitor center's along the interstate.
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"I did run one ad in the tourist guide pamphlet," she said. "I've tried to make the area around me colorful by putting potted plants and a walkway from the tourist center to me in order to make us look like we're still alive."
In less than a year, Hildebrant had to change her location, buy a generator, get electricity and spend $12,000 to keep her operation running.
Hildebrant spent $5,000 for a generator and the gas with another $5,000 going toward electricity from Montana-Dakota Utilities Company (MDU).
Hildebrant did see one silver lining with her move - being able to connect to running water. At her previous location, she had to fill and empty a 250-gallon holding tank with a 5-gallon bucket each day.
She continues to enjoy seeing her local customers and new ones make it to her shop.
"I'm going to remain here," Hildebrant said. "I just have to say that the support by everyone with letters, calls and petitions has been wonderful."
A small bridge now connects the pathway going into her building and the grass area between the curb closest to the visitor's center.
Due to traffic concerns in the Flying J parking lot, Hildebrant can't put any pavement connecting her to the north side, only stepping stones.
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"It's one step forward to accommodate walk-in traffic," she added.
